Cultural Diversity Training Resources

Cultural diversity training is an important component of an overall inclusion and diversity strategy. Diversity training provides the knowledge, skills and tools to assist team members for behaving differently. This is important for creating and sustaining change that fosters a more diverse, inclusive, respectful and productive organization. Diversity training must be flexible to meet the demands and schedules of today's active working environments. Visit the PRISM diversity training page to learn more on this topic. We have provided the articles, resources and links below to help with your journey towards diversity.

Diversity Linked To Increased Sales Revenue And Profits, More Customers

In one of only a few studies to empirically examine the implications of organizational diversity, sociologist Cedric Herring found that a workforce comprised of employees of both genders and varying racial backgrounds resulted in positive business outcomes.

Companies with a more diverse workforce consistently reported higher customer numbers than those organizations with less diversity among staff. In terms of racial diversity, companies with the highest rates reported an average of 35,000 customers compared to 22,700 average customers among those companies with the lowest rates of racial diversity. The difference is even larger for gender diversity rates. That is, companies with the highest levels of gender diversity reported an average of 15,000 more customers than organizations with the lowest levels of gender diversity. Herring also found that the smallest incremental increase in levels of racial or gender diversity resulted in more than 400 and 200 additional customers, respectively.

According to the research, as racial and gender diversity levels increased in a company's workforce, its profits relative to those of its competitors also increased.

Diversity Training Can Improve Your Bottom Line

Diversity training in the workplace can help make an organization more competitive and strong, thereby improving its financial strength. Diversity training stresses the idea of inclusiveness to supervisors, workers, suppliers, vendors, and clients.

Over the next 15 years, the African-American, Hispanic, and Asian-American ethnic groups will expand at a rate six-fold higher than non-ethnic populations. World Bank data indicates that if ethnic populations in the United States were to create their own nation, it would result in one of the globe's leading economies.

Companies that want to take advantage of the nation's diversity in culture, skills, religions, education, and talents need to encourage diversity in their corporate culture. But many firms have failed to incorporate diversity into their basic principles or business functions. "Diversity training on the front end is beneficial for managers and people within their workplace so they are prepared for dealing with people from different backgrounds," asserts Stan Davis, COO of iMpact HR Consulting. To this end, diversity programs should aim to motivate employees and make them feel that their contributions and suggestions are welcome. Firms also need to reassess policies to ensure adequate job development opportunities for diverse employees. Successful companies will be those that include diversity in their core business practices.

The Chief Diversity Officer of the Future

Diversity Executive

Linda Stokes, President and CEO of PRISM International, Inc., and Michael Wheeler, Chief Diversity Officer for media services company OmnicomMediaGroup,
co-authored an article about the changing nature of the goals and objectives of the Chief Diversity Officer. This article highlights current trends and changes in the CDO role. The article features insights and input from multiple business leaders from top companies, including: CVS Caremark, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., Hormel Foods Corp, and more.

Case Study: Cox Media Group Diversity Council Summit

Cox Media Group created a strategic consulting partnership with PRISM International, Inc. to help move their D&I process to the next level. PRISM was asked to develop and deliver training and strategic planning opportunities for Council members at a Diversity and Inclusion Summit for the Business Team Diversity and Inclusion Councils.

Our European manufacturing client had a large contract with a significant U.S. customer which was not going well. Our client related, "We cannot continue to operate in a crisis mode every week". Our client's customer was not happy with deliverables, interactions and project management.

Our global manufacturing client was experiencing cultural, class and language issues in one of its manufacturing divisions. The plant's production schedule, quality goals and return rate goals were in decline. Morale and engagement were suffering due to stress and recent plant closings.

Four Ways to Reinvigorate Diversity Councils

Diversity Executive

Philip Berry, Executive Director of the Association of Diversity Councils writes that organizations wanting to develop a diverse and inclusive work environment should count on their diversity councils’ participation and support as a critical success factor.

Case Study: Verizon Wireless & Developing Women Leaders

Verizon Wireless is committed to developing all employees to inspire them to take their career wherever they want it to go. Given the current rate of change, it will be 40 years before women enjoy parity with men at the corporate officer level. To support Verizon’s commitment and to help close the representation gap of women in leadership positions, Verizon is proactive in providing high potential women the opportunity to participate in personal and professional developmental activities.

Case Study: The Hartford & Mentoring

As The Hartford Group continues its’ diversity and inclusion journey, it wanted to build on its’ successes by creating a formal mentoring process that included women and minority teammates and would result in an internal pipeline of diverse highly qualified individuals for executive succession planning.

Case Study: On Time Staffing & Inclusive Recruiting and Selection

OTS acknowledges and embraces Talent Management as a business strategy for itself and its’ clients. Therefore, OTS recruiters and hiring managers must be successful in identifying, attracting, qualifying, interviewing and screening candidates in a manner that does not prematurely eliminate viable candidates regardless of ethnicity or cultural differences. To ensure success in this regard, recruiters and hiring manager’s skills can be enhanced by participating in a program that focuses on understanding others and their own preferences.

PRISM's President & CEO Linda Stokes discusses the concept of cultural programming and traps, cultural translators and the 5 Step Service Response Cycle and how that impacts our ability to service customers across cultural and languages differences.

The Do's and Don'ts For Diversity Training

The 5 Factors for D&I Success

Diversity Executive

PRISM's President & CEO, Linda H. Stokes writes that by following these 5 factors, the D&I process can mature, reach peak performance and be a strategic lever which to accomplish organizational results.

On the Ground in Sanford, Florida at the March 22nd Trayvon Martin Rally

Are We There Yet?

Diversity Executive

Every year, diversity executives at organizations that win diversity awards from ranking programs face an interesting challenge: How to celebrate their milestone wins while avoiding the false impression that their companies have arrived at the top of the diversity pinnacle for all time.

Does Diversity Training Work?

Piecemeal Diversity: Avoiding the Trap

Profiles in Diversity Journal

PRISM's President & CEO, Linda H. Stokes presents her - Piecemeal Diversity: Avoiding the Trap. In providing her Linkage Diversity Conference Survey results and analysis, she observes "diversity professionals from all over cite piecemeal diversity initiatives as the most frustrating impediment to aligning diversity process with their organization's business strategies".

10 Ways to Operationalize Your Diversity Process

PRISM White Paper

Little debate remains for the business case for diversity. Operating domestically or globally, all enterprises are facing changes that require innovative ways to maximize the opportunities created by the changes, while transforming the challenges into strengths that will lead to competitive advantage. The diversity process is one strategy or lever for winning in the workplace and the marketplace.

Avoiding Pitfalls - Use a Whole System Approach

HR.com

Too often, organizations fall into the trap of searching for the solution in one piece of their process while ignoring the remaining components of the total process. Joe Santana, Director of Diversity for Siemens Corporation expands on this concept.

From Vision to Implementation - Instituting Your Diversity Process

Institute for Diversity in Health Management

Many organizations make the case for diversity, obtain senior management support, publish their mission and vision statements and then must deliver on their diversity strategies. In this latest issue of Bridges located on pages 4 and 5, PRISM's President & CEO, Linda Stokes offers ten tips on creating a robust, successful and sustainable initiative.

Encouraging Work-Life Balance Can Boost Your Bottom Line

Help Your Company Regain Its Energy and Balance and Boost Your Bottom-Line

HR.com

Siemens Business Service Executive and PRISM client, Joe Santana states that organizations that adopt best practices that support maximum results through effective work-life integration and personal energy management, will possess a huge competitive advantage.

Harnessing the Full Potential of a Diverse Workforce

TechRepublic

Companies that have managers who are equipped to successfully leverage the distinct and rich talents and skills and knowledge of all employees will not only avoid drains on profitability, they will actually attain a number of strategic benefits.

Managing Successfully in Today's Diverse Workplace

A Process for Strategically Leveraging Diversity

Profiles in Diversity Journal

"Diversity is not a strategic process when it is a series of piecemeal activities", writes PRISM's President & CEO, Linda H. Stokes. In this article, she introduces PRISM's six-step Gap-Model approach to strategically leveraging diversity.

PRISM's President & CEO, Linda H. Stokes discusses the business case for utilizing managers and supervisors to drive diversity through the organization. She introduces a tool - the PRISM Diversity Discussion Starters™ - that provides organizations with a complete series of powerful diversity conversations that lead to changes and team actions that drive real results.

Getting Employees On Board

Profiles in Diversity Journal

PRISM's President & CEO, Linda H. Stokes presents her article - Getting Employees On Board. She writes that most organizations fail to provide an effective diversity communication and learning process that creates an immediate and lasting result. She further relates how PRISM combined their 4-Point Diversity Communication and Learning Model to Knowledge Map technology and created the innovative diversity communication and training tool the On Board with Diversity Knowledge Map™.

From the Top: Executive Sessions Offer Leaders A New Look at Their Firms

DiversityInc.com

Diversity strategies and corporate business objectives must be fully aligned for success. Putting the two together only works if the symbiosis is directed by top management. Learn what Linda H. Stokes, President & CEO did when her company polled diversity professionals at a recent national diversity conference.

The Seven Deadly Sins in Diversity Measurement

Profiles in Diversity Journal

PRISM's Senior Consultant, Dr. Mickey Dansby presents - The Seven Deadly Sins in Diversity Measurement. "After many years of assessing and measuring diversity progress in the military and large corporations," Dr. Dansby writes, "I concluded that most diversity measurement programs are pretty much an afterthought, and consequently may not be given much thought at all".

PRISM Inclusion & Diversity Training

Inclusion and diversity training is one tactical component of a diversity strategy. Training provides the knowledge, skills and tools to assist team members for behaving differently. This is important for creating and sustaining change that fosters a more creative, inclusive, respectful and productive workforce and workplace. Inclusion and diversity training must be flexible to meet the demands and schedules of today's active working environments. PRISM offers various training products that are flexible in their delivery and duration.

"PRISM's emphasis on customer service and high quality facilitators has and will continue to have a positive impact on the work that we are doing."- IBM

The Only Conference Designed Specifically for ERGs & Diversity Councils providing opportunities to increase knowledge and skills, learn best practices, network and renew and recharge to increase impact and effectiveness.

CatalystWomen - Membership–based research and advisory organization working with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work

Institute for Diversity in Health Management - Is a non profit that works closely with health services organizations and educators to expand leadership opportunities for ethnic minorities in health services management. The Institute’s mission is to increase the number of minorities in health services administration to better reflect the increasingly diverse communities they serve, and to improve opportunities for professionals already in the health care field.

National Urban League - Member-based organization dedicated to enabling African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights